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MENTAL MODEL · M6721

NM Method

NM Method
SystemsmediumSystems Theory
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Updated 2026-08-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The NM Method is a creativity technique proposed by Masakazu Nakayama. It proceeds by describing the essence of the problem in keywords, searching for an analogue in an unrelated domain that shares some property with the problem, analyzing the mechanism or structure that makes the analogue work, and abstracting that mechanism so it can be applied back to the original problem. The method treats analogy as a systematic procedure rather than a flash of insight, and its value lies in moving the search for solutions outside the domain where the problem is framed, which is where habitual solutions live.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Use essence keywords: reduce the problem to a few words naming what actually needs to happen. - Use cross-domain search: look for objects or systems that share the property, not the context. - Use mechanism extraction: state why the analogue works before mapping it back.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Solutions invented inside the problem's own domain reproduce that domain's assumptions, which is why brainstorming returns familiar answers. Forcing a search in a distant domain breaks those assumptions, because the analogue's mechanism developed under different constraints. Extracting the mechanism rather than copying the surface feature is what makes the transfer valid: two systems can look nothing alike and still share the principle that solves the problem. The discipline lies in that extraction step, since superficial resemblance yields ideas that fail on contact with the problem.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    wiki.mbalib.comhttps://wiki.mbalib.com/wiki/NM%E6%B3%95ZH · Explicit
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